Studying Culture 2e

Culture can be such a vague and sweeping thing that a student often needs assistance in pinning down what exactly it might be. Giles and Middleton offer good advice. You can look for example at a group that shares a historical experience, possibly with religious associations. As in the Jewish or Armenian diaspora. This idea of a common history is perhaps the strongest attribute of many cultures. But other characteristics are also looked at. One might merely be geographic proximity. Here, the book glances at the megalopolis of Los Angeles and the numerous neighbourhoods that could often be of distinctive nature. Then there is the notion of high culture as contrasted to popular or mass culture. The Hollywood celebrity scene is the best known example of the latter, especially in a global sense.